An early morning walk home from work nearly turned fatal for a Long Beach dispatcher, and now the man who swung the axe has admitted to trying to kill him. Prosecutors say the ambush, which almost cost the 60-year-old his life, capped a simmering workplace grudge and set off a yearlong prosecution. With Friday’s guilty plea, the case is now barreling toward a May sentencing that could lock the defendant away for decades.
According to a press release by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, 35-year-old Anthony Calvo pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and is expected to be sentenced to 22 years in prison on May 1, 2026.
Attack and injuries
Prosecutors say the assault unfolded around 5:50 a.m. on February 13, 2025, on Arizona Avenue, when Calvo ran up behind his former coworker and struck him at least three times with an axe, hitting the man’s face, head and arm. The dispatcher had been walking home from an overnight shift when he was attacked. Bleeding and gravely injured, he managed to crawl to his backyard and bang on a door for help before being rushed to Mount Sinai South Nassau for multiple surgeries, a sequence Gothamist detailed in its coverage of the case.
Investigation and arrest
The DA’s release said surveillance video captured a person fleeing the scene on a white e-bike. Investigators later executed a search warrant and recovered that e-bike, a full-face mask and the axe used in the attack. According to prosecutors, DNA testing matched Calvo to the weapon. He was arrested on March 12, 2025, after a joint investigation by Long Beach police and Nassau County homicide detectives.
"This brutal, senseless attack will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Donnelly said, according to the DA’s statement.
Victim's condition
News 12 Long Island reported that more than a year after the assault, the 60-year-old victim remains unable to walk or bear weight and requires constant medical assistance. The outlet said he has only recently begun communicating and is relearning basic tasks such as feeding himself, details prosecutors cited when announcing the plea.
Legal next steps
Calvo entered his plea before Judge Robert Bogle. The case was prosecuted by the DA’s Homicide Bureau, with defense attorneys listed in court filings. Sentencing is scheduled for May 1, when the court is expected to impose the recommended 22-year prison term. The plea to Attempted Murder in the Second Degree signals that prosecutors intend to keep Calvo behind bars for a significant stretch.
Why it matters
The attack rattled Long Beach residents and quickly became a cautionary tale about workplace disputes that spill into street violence. Prosecutors and local police have publicly praised the coordinated detective work that led from a grainy video of a white e-bike to an arrest and eventual guilty plea, saying the collaboration removed a dangerous individual from the community. Victim advocates and neighbors are expected to keep a close eye on the sentencing next month, looking for accountability that matches the severity of the injuries and the fear the ambush left behind.
